A Beautiful Thing: Day 7

When your day is fairly ordinary, sometimes it's hard to remember to see what is special about it.

I started my in the garden turning compost on the tractor! It took all morning but felt good to complete. In the afternoon I cut up some fresh peppers from the garden and went into the client waiting room of the food pantry to hand out samples and talk to people.

It never ceases to amaze me how much I love this time with people. We talk about food and cooking and gardening!

Today's beautiful moment for me was the exchanges of smiles. There was a lot of smiling happening while people waited to receive their food and to me that seems like a big positive impact for the day!

Did anyone's smile affect you today?

BPositive and BFree!

Love,
B

A Beautiful Thing: Day 6

A cozy rainy day.

I am so thankful for this peaceful rain. It's been steady and slow and has invited activities like knitting, drinking hot tea, and conversing with friends.

What has been beautiful about your Sunday?

BPositive and BFree!

Love,
B

A Beautiful Thing: Day 5

Admittedly I like to plan things. The few things A and I argue about are when he's trying to enjoy the freedom of the weekend and I'm wanting to schedule every minute of it.

Today I woke early in that natural way that feels so restful. Letting A sleep in after his long week I just spent the morning knitting without an ounce of guilt.

The day continued in this carefree fashion. Some coffee, a little reading, some writing, more knitting, some awesome flea market finds, an impromptu snack from the Taco Rock truck and an afternoon shloof (yup that's Yiddish for nap) followed by dinner and a movie with some good friends.

It turns out that if I don't try and control everything we end up feeling a lot more restful in our time off together. And we typically find more time somehow. Imagine that?

So my beautiful moment today was a little life lesson called "relax B it's all going to turn out great."

And it certainly did.

BPositive and BFree!

Love,
B

A Beautiful Thing: Day 4

I had the opportunity to attend a Naturalization Ceremony this morning. Men and women from all over the world stood up and introduced themselves and where they came from. '

Egypt. China. El Salvador. Czech Republic. Jamaica. Thailand. Iceland. Peru.

I rarely think about the fact that I was born here and given all the opportunity in the world to do what I want with my life. My only restrictions have been the ones I set upon myself.

Here are individuals accepting citizenship in a country that will allow them to choose a direction in life. Choose a president. Choose a better career. Maybe they had these options before, and maybe not. Either way it's amazing to see this official presentation of individuals proudly standing as members of this country, not because they were born here but because they chose to be here.

I am thankful for my freedom to vote, think and act on what I feel to be just and right in the world. Watching others take a journey to those same freedoms was a beautiful way to start my day.

Did you have a beautiful start to your day?

Bpostive and BFree!

Love,
B

A Beautiful Thing: Day 3

I have a tendency to become a bit of a hermit. Particularly when times are stressful, I lose my desire to connect with people. Sadly for me this means I lose out on a lot of beautiful moments. Today I feel like my connection with others has been restored. I think it's all my focus on the good things that are happening around me.

I spent the morning working in the garden with one of the awesome volunteers, talking about plants, food and helping others. I dropped by the art gallery (where we have an installation) to water the plants only to learn that the sweet woman sitting for the gallery watered them for me! She introduced me to her service dog who was there assisting a man in a wheel chair. Later this afternoon I got a nice visit from a co-worker in my office where we reflected on my visit to the community center yesterday. She had a lot of insights for me and she made me feel really understood in all the emotions that come with doing community service.

Whether old or young, furry, or not I connected with everyone I came across today.

I am grateful for these beautiful moments! Did you make any connections today?

BPositive and BFree!

Love,
B

A Beautiful Thing: Day 2

As I walked the halls of the community center in a town just an hour north of where I live my senses came alive.

Children laughing and playing. Giggles. Arguments. Sweltering heat in an un-air conditioned school house. The building isn't perfect but it's not always about the walls...

We came to the community center as a service project. We brought books and school supplies which were needed and appreciated. but more importantly we brought our time.

And when it came down to leaving an impression, I feel as though I came away learning something.

I leaned from the 4 year old who reminded me how to sing "where is thumkin" with her tiny little hands. And from the boy heading into 9th grade who cheered me on even when I couldn't make a basket for my life on the court. And from the preacher who brings order to the crowd with her beautiful, soulful singing voice. I got to be a part of a community today. And it was truly beautiful.

What were your beautiful moments today?

BPositive and BFree!

Love,
B

A Beautiful Day: One

We put so much pressure on ourselves.
We label everything we do.
We put ourselves in pretty little boxes that help us explain why we do what we do.
We try to define who we are so it can all make sense.

I'm always trying to make sense of things. It's the organized side of me. But sometimes I just want it to be okay for there to be chaos and not always be looking for the solutions. But how do you do that when you're a perpetual compartmentalizer?

In the midst of trying to understand my impact in my job, my purpose in my community, my best possible diet, my role in my marriage and my family, and my hopes, dreams and passions... I often feel lost. What is most important today? How can all these things be important at once? How can I stay excited about my current job when I am building a new one? How important is veganism if sometimes I feel run down and sluggish? Do I choose food that helps keep my spirit alive and happy or always opt for what is healthiest? Do I re-establish my love for running or stay focused on something less stressful and time consuming? How do I build for a future here when sometimes I miss living closer to home?

And the questions go on and on. Does anyone else find this to be a truth in their life?

Well here's my idea...

Find the things that are true, consistent and always beautiful in your life. Every single day we have these things. In the midst of the chaos there is always beauty. I will dedicate the next 30 days to finding that beauty even when the answers are not always available to me.

I know from past experience that time will always reveal what is right for me and for now I must focus on what is in front of me in these wonderful, present moments.

Today's beautiful moment comes in the form of a 6 years old little girl. She ran up to me while I was harvesting basil in the teaching garden. I put a bunch of leaves in a bag for her and we talked about ways that she could use the basil. Her favorite way to use it is on spaghetti with the red sauce. She also couldn't wait to put some in her salad when she got home. Connecting all the pieces of where the basil had just come from, she asked where she could get some seeds. We talked about places to buy them very inexpensively by we also got to do a lesson on seed harvesting. I took a flower/ pod off the top of the basil and showed her the little seeds inside. They were green and moist so I told her they would need to dry out and turn black before being planted. So excited, she insisted on planting one immediately in the teaching garden. Her enthusiasm was so rejuvenating. It reminded me why I teach these skills. And it reminded me that growing out of the ground to feed ourselves is beautiful and wholesome. The girl's mom signed up to come to the next work shop we are having at the food pantry's garden. I hope they come. 

BPositive and BFree!

Love,

B